I really do wish that this topic was covered in Raincamp Dallas last Tuesday because there were so many more attendees who were new to Active Rain, blogging and Internet Technology than the rest of us who had been Active Rain members for years. It would make so much more sense when people know why they need to do what they do. So, I'm going to take it upon myself to share what little I know about blogging and the Power of Active Rain.
So why do you want to blog on Active Rain?
(Perhaps as your main blogging platform rather than on Wordpress or Blogger?) If you do it somewhere else - it's either you already have a blogging presence elsewhere or you don't understand the Power of Active Rain.
Active Rain is viewed by Google as a trusted and reliable source of Real Estate information, so much so Google rated Active Rain as an "Authority" site. Authority sites have "links" underneath its URL. Examples of other authority sites are CNN, New York Times and our lovely Realtor.com.
Google client's are people who use Google as their search engine. Google doesn't care about you, your blog or your website. Google cares about returning FAVORABLE search results to its clients. As a part of that effort, it always reach out to its "authority" sites to find revelant results for its clients.
So how did Active Rain become an Authority site?
Google loves content - and to be exact Google loves fresh and new content. Collectively, as a group of 170,000 members we put out ALOT of fresh and new content. Google can't tell that this is Loreena Yeo's section of Active Rain or this is your section of Active Rain. It sees it as one collection of useful and relevant source of real estate information.
I don't know how many posts Active Rain collectively generates in one day. Maybe Bob Stewart can help out with that. But I know it's plenty. So, how could you possibly one person put out as many new posts as we can collectively on Active Rain? Google notices new pages that keeps coming out of this place called Active Rain.
As your post receives feedback and comments, Google notices that ALOT of people "like" this content so it keeps "tabs" on this place. Hence, in a very few short years, Active Rain has been rated as a reliable and trusted authority source of Real Estate information.
Google also notices the time its clients spend on the site. If a client visits the page and moves on in 30 seconds, it's not very favorable. But if clients spend "hours" on the site - like some of you addicts, something MUST be going on there.
For about 1 year (in my past), I tried to do it on my own, keeping up with a Wordpress and a Blogger blog. I just cannot gain the momentum I possibly can from my own little world here on Active Rain. So, instead of fighting it - I embrace it. Now, I use it to my advantage.
Google indexes my Active Rain pages in 10 minutes. I write Local Posts (and I will do much more of soon once I get done sharing what I know about AR here) and Google loves me for that. When consumers find my AR content, they take notice. Eventually, they find my way to my Frisco TX Homes for Sale website, sign up for property alerts. They harbor on my blog and Frisco TX Homes website until they are ready to take the next step. (You need to understand what is Google index. Find out what it is.)
Hence, my Active Rain blog and my website are a combined effort in my marketing strategy. I hate to repeat myself for my ardent readers, so read my other strategy of utilizing my social media network in reaching out to my SOI in How to grow when your markets don't. This is a Member's Only post and you must be logged in to read.
Then my next question for you is - Are you a Rainmaker yet?
Only Rainmakers can reach out to consumers through search engines because their posts are made "public". If your role here is to gain Internet lead generation, you need to become a Rainmaker. Then, if your role here is to reach out to other members, then of course, you would never have to write a Public post.
So, could you possibly see how a $360 per year investment in your business is pocket change but in return, you can take advantage of the Power of Active Rain? Nope, it's not another $200 here, another $3000 there. If you think that way, you still don't understand how Active Rain can rock your world, like it did mine.
The rest of us are reaping our rewards. Read also how 400K points is worth over $122K to me. But don't forget, blogging does take time. It takes ALOT of effort. I have been out here for over 3 years and I put out 10 blogs a week and leave many comments on other people's blogs. Some people ask How do I do that? I get up at 4am to accomplish my Internet marketing efforts on Active Rain, do my 10 comments a day, then I move on. I do it because Active Rain pays my light and water bills. That's why I get up at 4am to put Active Rain on my schedule and I'm dead serious. I pay my Active Rain dues with TIME. It didn't start pouring in until after 2 years of knowing what I'm blogging about.
So, are you prepared for your rain to come? As for me, it's really pouring and gushing in hard now. My husband has decided to join me and I just spoke to my neighbor who is a Realtor who wants to back me up on my abundance. How awesome is that?
PS: Bob, Brad and Jon Washburn didn't pay me to write this. They just love me.
There is no way I could possibly share what I know in a blog post or even a 30 minute phone call. Read my other Blogging Active Rain posts and I do share what little I know with other agents because I believe in Paying Forward - the culture of Active Rain.
PPS: I really do intend to move more towards my consumer and real estate posts like Russell Lewis would. So, forgive me. I do blog for business and that's how my mortgage is paid.
Do subscribe to my blog to catch the other times that I write stuff about this.
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Loreena Yeo
Frisco TX Realtor® / Broker of 3:16 team REALTY
(214) 783-2210
loreena@loreenayeo.com
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